


Witches in the Woods

by beautifulwheatbread



Category: Lovecraft Country (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Family, Fluff, Mild Smut, Romance, no magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:14:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29366082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautifulwheatbread/pseuds/beautifulwheatbread
Summary: AU set in 2009. Ruby, Leti, Tic, and the Freemans travel to Massachusetts (specifically, a small town near Ardham) for Thanksgiving with their extended family. Old bonds will be strengthened and new, unexpected connections will be made. Also, Ruby realizes that old sedans and rocky dirt roads are a bad combination...
Relationships: Ruby Baptiste/Christina Braithwhite
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	1. November Storms and Highway Driving

The holidays of Ruby’s childhood were almost always quiet. Throughout the year, her mother would work crappy jobs during the day and spend her nights with whatever man had captured her interest; the holiday season was no exception to this pattern. So Ruby, Marvin, and Leti, and were left to watch Christmas TV specials on their own, or make Thanksgiving feasts out of the meager leftovers in the fridge. Ruby never would have guessed that her holidays would eventually become chaotic and loud, and most of all, full of joy.

“Ah, dammit! Ruby, c’mere!” Leti calls from the living room of her Chicago home. “What’s the matter, Leti?” Ruby enters through the door to the kitchen, wiping her hands on a green cloth.

“The weather channel is predicting a nasty storm will come through in two days. They’re saying flights out of O’Hare are probably gonna be grounded.” Leti explains, remote in hand, gesturing to the television in front of her.

Ruby’s brow creases, “Oh that’s perfect, huh? The one time we actually make an effort to travel to the east coast and Mother Nature decides to fuck with our plans.”

Thanksgiving is in four days, and Ruby, Leti, Marvin, and their respective families had been invited to a big celebration at their maternal uncle’s house in Massachusetts. Normally, the three of them and their families, which included the Freemans - especially now that Leti and Tic are engaged - spent the holiday season together in Chicago, but this year, Uncle Terry offered to host a large Thanksgiving gathering for the extended family and family friends. Ruby doesn’t know Uncle Terry too well since he moved to the east coast before Ruby was born, and Eloise was not enthusiastic about keeping her family tightly knit. However, Ruby could infer that Uncle Terry is a kind man from his few annual phone calls and holiday cards, and as much as she enjoys their holidays at home, Ruby was ready for a change of scene. So the Freemans, Leti, Tic, and Ruby all planned to fly to Massachusetts in two days, arriving at Uncle Terry’s house a couple of days before Thanksgiving to help with holiday preparations and to spend some time getting to know their family members.

“Well what the hell are we gonna do now?” Leti places her hands on her hips, and her lips twist into a red-lipstick-adorned pout. 

Ruby laughs at her sister’s frustration, “Have you heard of this fantastic invention called automobiles? They’re actually how people would get around before we decided to pay entirely too much money to hurtle through the sky in a metal tube of death.”

Leti playfully swats Ruby’s arm, “You do know that driving is way more dangerous than flying? But you’re just biased since you like driving so much,” she pauses to think, about Ruby’s suggestion, “Okay, yeah, yeah. I guess we should talk to George and Hippolyta about piling in Woody. But driving to Massachusetts… that’s like 20 hours in the car.” Leti drags a hand down the length of her face.  
Another chuckle, “Save the melodrama, Leti. It’s definitely not that long - probably more like 14 hours.”

Leti raises her eyebrows, “It’ll sure as hell feel like 20 hours with all of us in one car and no escape."

“Well Terry is expecting us on Tuesday, and now it looks like we’ll need a whole day for traveling. We better leave tomorrow afternoon at the latest.” Ruby’s eyes dart around the room, as if she’s tracking her schedule and their timing on an invisible planner.

“Shit, I haven’t even started packing. And I’m positive Tic hasn’t either. That man gets so lost in his books that he forgets that the real world doesn’t stop moving,” Leti shakes her head in feigned annoyance, although she cannot prevent a warm smile from forming on her lips as she mentions Tic and his favorite pastime. 

“You’re lucky I’m here then,” Ruby says, “I can help you pack.”

“You better go home and pack your own shit,” Leti advises.

“Oh please, I was packed two days ago,” Ruby gloats, “I _am_ the most organized member of this family, but to be fair, you set the bar pretty damn low.”

Leti makes an indignant noise, but says nothing except, “Lemme call Hippolyta first to tell her about the change in plans.”

Ruby nods, “And I suppose I’ll call Marvin, even though I think he and his family were going to drive over anyway - they live closer to Massachusetts after all so no need to waste money on a plane ticket.”

\----

To the great surprise of the Freemans, Woody is unable to carry all the luggage that Tic, Leti, Ruby, and the Freemans need to bring to Massachusetts. Not only does each person have enough clothing for a five-day stay, they also have bags full of pots, pans, and groceries to be used for Thanksgiving; they may not be hosting Thanksgiving this year, but they sure as hell are going to pull their own weight and help out in any way they can. Ruby volunteers to bring her own car, a modest grey sedan that is at least a decade old. The car may be old, but Ruby insists that it is reliable. “Don’t you worry, she’s got at _least_ ten-thousand miles left in her,” Ruby says, patting the dulling paint on the hood, as Leti folds her arms in skepticism. 

So the voyage to the east coast begins; George and Hippolyta take turns driving Woody, and at every rest stop, Tic and Ruby would switch places, one taking a nap in the backseat of Woody and the other driving Ruby’s car.

“Oh absolutely not,” Ruby snorted when Leti asked if she could drive Ruby’s car. 

“I’m a good driver!” Leti exclaimed in indignation, “Do you think I’m gonna crash your car or something?”

“You’re a fine driver Leti,” Ruby replied, “But you’re an emotional driver.”

“The hell does that mean?”

“It _means_ that the last time you drove me somewhere, you started talking about a man who pissed you off earlier that day in the grocery store and you started going fifty in a thirty-five.”

Tic, who had been following the conversation in amusement, was unable to conceal his knowing smile.

“Oh, please,” Leti waved off Ruby’s anecdote, “I don’t think your car could hit fifty miles per hour, even if the pedal was flat on the damn floor.”

But Ruby’s car had, in fact, surpassed fifty miles per hour, and is now cruising at a swift seventy on I-90. Ruby and Tic just switched, and Ruby feels refreshed from her nap and ready to drive. She sits behind the steering wheel, the taillights of Woody gleam blood-red in the lane in front of her, a striking contrast against the darkening denim blue of the early-November twilight. Ruby can’t help but smile, enjoying her time alone in her car. There may not be another passenger with her, but the car is anything but quiet; Ruby’s perfectly-crafted playlist blares through the car’s interior, courtesy of the state-of- the-art CD player. Or at least it was state-of-the-art in 1998. Ruby doesn’t get to drive around too often, except for fifteen minute drives to the store or a family member’s house. Plus, Ruby takes public transportation whenever possible - it’s better for the planet and all that. But Ruby loves driving. Driving gives her some time to herself. When she steps into her car and sinks into the plush seats, she steps into a realm where time functions differently; upcoming events do not seem so imminent, and important and stressful decisions feel more removed from her life. Here, Ruby is free to think, or not to think, and more importantly, she’s free to sing.

The signing Ruby does in the car is completely different from the singing she does on stage. When Ruby is alone in the vehicle, windows up or down, she is free to sing messily and rawly - not afraid to miss a note or allow her voice to crack. She loves to scream the lyrics to her favorite songs, resulting in a rush of emotion that is unique from, but equally as thrilling as the adrenaline she feels when performing for an audience. But singing in her car is more than fun for her, it is also practice to an extent. Ruby makes her living as a singer as well. She takes gigs at clubs and dinner parties, but she also records backup vocals for all sorts of musicians. On top of her singing career, she has been starting to get into voice acting, and has even had a few minor roles in Disney films. She doesn’t like voice acting nearly as much as singing and performing, and often she finds herself cringing at the tone or the very words that she is asked to repeat, but voice acting pays well enough and she can do it in jeans and a tee-shirt instead of a cocktain gown. 

No matter what gig Ruby’s has, she’s always damn good at her job. She makes enough money to be comfortable, but she’s still waiting for her big break - that glittering dream of fame sits just below the horizon like the sun in the early morning that glows bright enough to begin illuminating the world, but has yet to rise. Despite her dreams, Ruby is not expecting fame or widespread recognition for her singing necessarily. She likes her life right now, but she wouldn’t be opposed if fame came knocking.

It was as if her playlist read her mind because Alicia Keys’s “Empire State of Mind” began to play. Ruby grins, ready to absolutely kill the vocals, and as she sings she begins to think about New York City. Recently, she had been thinking of moving to NYC or LA to try and further her career. It’s an idea she’s entertained before but can’t think about for more than a few minutes because it exhausts her. She has no idea what it would be like to be so far from her family and everything she’s ever known. Everything that’s familiar. Honestly, Ruby finds it ironic that proximity to her family would be such an influential factor in her decision to pursue her dreams; Eloise Baptiste would never put her life on hold for her family, and growing up in her own broken family, Ruby thought she would only have a family in the biological sense. But luckily, that which was broken was able to be put back together, and Ruby and her siblings seemed to realize the lack of family cohesion just meant they needed to make a conscious effort to stay together. So weekly dinners were scheduled, holidays were planned out, and conversations on the phone, email chains, and more were encouraged. Ruby, Marvin, and Leti became the glue that put their fractured family back together. Even Leti, who had been wild and free when she was younger, who would go weeks or even months without speaking to Ruby, eventually realized the value in staying close to the people she loves. 

Ruby doesn’t want to leave them and mess up their lives together, but her career is in this awkward phase - like a balloon that’s just about to burst. Opportunity is on the horizon, and Ruby feels drawn to chase it. But for now, Ruby shakes the swirling storm of doubts from her head, and replaces the mumbling of her thoughts with the notes of her music. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thank you for reading, I hoped you enjoyed the fic! I know this chapter was a lot of introductions and not a lot of excitement, but I promise that upcoming chapters will be more exciting. I'm thinking of maybe moving Ruby to New York (as insinuated in the car scene) because I know a lot about the city and think it might be fun, but I'm still not sold on it. If you have any thoughts or preferences on that front, I'd love to hear them and any other tips you can give :))
> 
> (Also, please excuse any typos/gramatical errors/awkward sentences. I was working on a 10 page research paper for the entirety of this week so I'm a bit writing fatigued).


	2. Morning Conversations and Sunset Drives

It is 5:28 am on Wednesday morning when Ruby and her family pull into the driveway of her uncle’s house. The sun is floating under the horizon, the first golden glow of morning permeating the coal black night. It had been hard to make out much of her surroundings when they drove through the New England town her uncle lives in, but as far as she could tell from silhouettes and her GPS, the town and the surrounding area is small and relatively rural. The Baptistes, however, live near the main street, and even in the dim morning light, Ruby can tell that her uncle’s house is a good size, which would probably cost a small fortune in Chicago, with a spacious backyard bordered by the woods.

Seeing her uncle for the first time in years confirms Ruby’s suspicions about his character. Uncle Terry and his wife, Cindy, wake up early to help them bring their things inside and show them to their rooms. 

Uncle Terry places Ruby’s final duffle bag in the room she is sharing with Tic and Leti, and then says, “Now, you get some sleep, Ruby,” his voice radiates warmth like embers in a hearth, “There’s no need to worry about waking up early. We’ve got stuff to do but nothing urgent. Cindy and I want you to enjoy your stay, and that should start with you all being well rested.”

“Thank you, Uncle Terry,” Ruby manages to stifle a yawn, “And thank you for everything. We’re so excited to be here.”

“Well we’re just as happy to have you,” Uncle Terry pats the door frame and then walks out of the room. Once Terry is gone, Ruby crashes onto one of the two twin beds in the room, and immediately falls asleep.

\----

Ruby wakes to a bright robin’s egg blue sky outside the window. She rolls over to read the alarm clock on the bedside table.  _ Ah, shit it’s already 12… _ Ruby had wanted to be up at least an hour ago to begin helping with Thanksgiving preparations. She groans and pulls herself upright, looking across the room at Leti and Tic’s sleeping figures. How the two of them managed to squeeze on that narrow twin bed, Ruby doesn’t know, but she moves toward her sister and begins to shake her awake.

“Come on, sleepy head. It’s noon already, you’ve gotta get up.”

Leti only grunts in response, and nestles closer to Tic. 

“Nuh uh,” Ruby says, and rips the cozy blanket off of their bed, “Up!” 

“Ruubyyy,” Leti groans.

“Six hours of sleep is plenty. Now I’m gonna go clean up and get dressed and you better be up by then. We’ve gotta be good houseguests.”

Ruby grabs one of her casual forest green dresses, one that she’s not worried about getting messy, and changes in the bathroom after brushing her teeth and washing her face. When she returns to the room, Leti and Tic are out of bed, although slow-moving, so Ruby decides to leave them be and head down stairs.

The house looks even bigger in the bright daylight. It’s tastefully decorated in a classic but lively New England style. The walls are light colors and the hardwood floors and rugs are dark browns and deep jewel tones respectively. Ruby gets a bit turned around, barely remembering the layout that her uncle had outlined for them hours ago, but she soon walks into a spacious dining room where George, Hippolyta, Dee, Terry, Cindy, and a girl who looks to be a bit older than Dee sit around a gorgeous rustic table. 

Cindy is the first to notice Ruby’s presence, “Ruby! How did you sleep, dear?”

“Very well, thank you,” Ruby replies brightly, then waggles a finger at George, “except for the fact that your nephew snores.”

“He must’ve gotten that from his mother’s side,” George chuckles, “Us Freemans are too dignified to snore.”

“Yeah, right!” Hippolyta chimes in, “Not only do you snore, but you have entire conversations in your sleep. No one likes a liar,” she playfully nudges her husband’s arm.

Terry gestures to the spread of food on the table, “Help yourself, Ruby. We thought that breakfast for lunch would be appropriate.”

Ruby smiles gratefully and takes a seat, grabbing a plate and filling it with eggs, bacon, and sliced fruit, “You have a beautiful house,” she says, before spearing a chunk of melon on her fork. 

“Thank you,” Terry smiles and looks at Cindy, “It was the very first house we toured when we moved out of Boston. We fell in love with it right away, and it’s been our home for the last decade.”

“That’s quite the change of pace,” Ruby says, “Boston to….”

“Roxbury,” Terry offers.

Ruby nods, “A big city to a small town. I haven’t been anywhere this rural in… well I’m not even sure.”

“It was certainly a refreshing change. We wanted to raise Ellie somewhere a bit more serene than Boston, and even though this area is quite rural, we are close enough to the city to drive in if something important comes up at work,” Cindy gestures to her daughter, “I’m having a lapse in memory… Have you met our daughter yet?”

“The last time I saw her she was a tiny baby,” Ruby replies, “So it’s nice to see you again, Ellie.”

Ellie returns Ruby’s smile from where she sits by Dee, “Nice to see you too!”

Leti and Tic finally make an appearance and after greetings are exchanged and their plates are filled, Ruby notices Ellie and Dee sitting with their heads together, reading a thick book.

“What are y’all reading?” Ruby asks across the table. Dee and Ellie look up and Dee replies, “It’s called,  _ A Complete History of New England Witchcraft _ , and it’s awesome. It’s a combination of history, fiction, and folklore. Ellie got it the night before Halloween and she’s read it all twice.”

Cindy nods, “We thought it would be an appropriately themed read for the season.”

“There’s a lot about Salem and the witches from Europe, but my favorite part is about the Ardham witches,” Ellie says, “Apparently they were less known but even more sinister than the witches in Salem, and they were never caught.”

Ruby can’t help but smile at the twin sparkles that light up the eyes of the two girls as they express their excitement in this fascinating, albeit spooky, subject. Tic enthusiastically asks, “Never caught? So does that mean there are still witches out there to this day?” He’s certainly not serious, but Ruby knows his mind will run wild with outlandish, yet brilliant, visions regardless of reality. That’s Tic’s gift; his vivid imagination paired with his dexterity with words make him a phenomenal writer and storyteller. 

“Well if you believe the old legends, then probably,” Ellie continues, “And they might be closer than you’d think. Ardham is only fifteen minutes away from Roxbury, and the book says the witches hid themselves deep in the woods to hide from the witchfinders. Some people hiking in the woods of Ardham after dark report hearing laughter coming from behind the trees and bizarre rustling noises in the forest.”

The group sits in a stunned silence, the eerie story drifting through the room and enveloping them all like a dense fog. Terry clears his throat to bring everyone back to reality, “Sorry to disappoint, but I’ve been out camping in those woods before and I slept like a baby. Not a single laugh to be heard.”

“Awww, Dad,” Ellie sighs, “Way to ruin the mystery. I mean we all know it's fake anyway, but it's a thrilling story.” She turns to Dee, “C’mon Dee, I have some more books in my room you might like.”

Cindy calls to the children as they run out of the room, “Come back down in fifteen minutes, I’m gonna need your help cleaning!”

Tic keeps eyeing the open book that the girls left on the table, and Terry notices, saying, “If you’d like to read it while you’re here, it’s all yours.”

Tic smiles, “Thank you. It might be good research. I’m looking for some new inspiration.”

“Are you a writer?” Terry asks. Tic nods and proceeds to explain his profession, his novels, and his preferred genre. Conversation picks up at the table again, but soon the adults clean up their dishes and get started on Thanksgiving preparations. 

\-----

The day flies by and the tasks seem endless. Cleaning, organizing, and most importantly, cooking. Anything that didn’t need to be prepared on Thanksgiving was made that afternoon, including Ruby’s famous pecan pies. Ruby shuts the oven, placing the pies on the counter to cool, and pulls off the oven mitts just as Cindy walks past.

“Cindy,” Ruby waves her down, “What else can I help with?”

“You already finished your list?” Cindy asks, clearly impressed by Ruby’s nod of confirmation.

Cindy purses her lips in thought, “Um, let’s see….” She thinks for a minute before saying, “There’s some more food to prepare but I need to wait for Terry to get back from the store with the missing ingredients. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything else that needs to be done. Everyone else is just finishing up their lists, so you can take a break. You deserve it,” she smiles warmly before continuing on her way.

It seems like every room that Ruby tries to relax in has some distraction - someone cleaning and organizing chairs or pillows. So naturally, Ruby decides to get in her car.

“Hey, Leti,” Ruby calls to her sister, “I’m taking a drive. I’ll be back in 30 minutes.”

“Okay, be careful!” Leti shouts back, “And be quick. You and I are on dinner duty tonight.”

“Will do,” and with that, Ruby walks into the chilly November afternoon, gets in her car, and begins to drive. She looks at the clock, which reads 4:15.  _ Maybe I can catch the sunset…. Time to find a good road. _

So Ruby chases the sun, looking for a suitable sunset-watching spot to pull over in. She is so mesmerized by the beautiful scenery that she does not notice when she drives by a sign on the side of the road that reads, “Welcome to Ardham”. It’s not long before she finds a small dirt road bordered by a sprawling field to the west. The absence of trees allows for her to watch the setting sun light the clouds on fire like a match igniting wisps of cotton. The sky is streaked with gold and becomes saturated with ruby red along the horizon. Ruby waits until the sun dips below the field and then types her uncle’s address into her GPS. The purple line instructs her to continue on the dirt road, and then take a right a few miles up ahead. So Ruby drives on, singing along to her playlist, and switches her high beams on as the darkening twilight begins to conquer the sky. 

As Ruby drives further down the road, the pebble and packed dirt road becomes increasingly rocky and littered with ruts, which is not only harsh on her sedan, but also makes driving slow and painstaking. Ruby is just about to turn around, not willing to wait and see if the road gets any more traversable, when her tire smacks into a particularly large bump in the road, and Ruby hears a thump followed by a flapping sound.

“Fuck,” Ruby hisses. She gets out of the car to examine the damage, and sure enough, her front passenger side tire is flat.

“Shit, shit, shit,” she curses as she walks to her trunk to check for a spare, but the compartment is empty. _Are you serious?_ She grabs her purse and takes out her cellphone to call Leti. The call drops immediately. _Great no service, no tire, and so far no houses on this damn road. Of course it’s also cold and dark._ _I guess, I’m gonna die out here_.

She knows it’s ridiculous, but Ruby finds herself listening closely, almost expecting bizarre laughter to shatter the utter silence of the forest around her.  _ Ellie’s book got in my head. There’s no such thing as witches… there are no witches in these completely usual woods.  _ Ruby decides to start walking back to the main road and steels herself for the task ahead, but the sound of an approaching vehicle causes her to freeze. A silver car approaches from the opposite direction that Ruby came. She blinks in the glare of the headlights, bringing her hand up to shield her eyes.  _ This is either really fucking bad, or a damn miracle. There’s no in between in this situation. _ The car pulls over and the door opens.

Ruby rummages in her bag until her hand closes around her trusty two-in-one taser and pepper spray. She knows some self defense. Not much. But some. She knows to go limp if an attacker tries to pick her up, and certainly knows to kick him in the balls. But the person who steps out of the car isn’t the muscled, terrifying man that Ruby was picurting. Instead, a small feminine form begins to make its way over to Ruby. The low beams of the car are still on but the woman moves away from them and Ruby is able to see her features. She has icy blonde hair and blue eyes so piercing that they are visible in the faint glowing twilight. Even still, Ruby’s hand tightens on her weapon, ready to use it if she needs to. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe somehow there are witches in these woods.

“Hello,” the woman says, her voice is low and smooth, “Do you need some help?” She gestures at the gray sedan and its useless tire.

“Hey,” Ruby greets her tentatively, “Um, yeah. It seems that I’ve got a flat tire and no spare…”

The woman bends down to look at the tire, “I think my father may have tires of this make in his garage. He does a lot of work on his vehicles and likes to stay stocked up. There’s probably a jack and tire iron there as well. I could go get the supplies and bring it back if you’d like.” 

The woman stands back up and meets Ruby’s wary gaze, “My father lives just down the road. You can actually make out the gate from here,” she points down the road toward the dark form of an iron gate.

Ruby is still skeptical; the timing, the assistance all seem too good to be true and she has half a mind to reject the woman’s offer and try her luck on foot, but Ruby is unable to stifle a shiver. She didn’t anticipate being out after dark when the temperatures dropped, and her thin coat is not doing much to fend off the bone-chilling night.

Ruby’s shiver does not escape the woman’s notice, however, and she says in an almost unnaturally level voice, “Or you could come with me. It’s getting pretty cold out here. And you wouldn’t have to worry about leaving the car here - very few people drive down this road.”

Ruby looks the woman up and down, “I really appreciate the offer, but I’m not about to get in the car and drive to the house of a complete stranger.”

“Fair enough,” the woman shrugs, then holds out a gloved hand without breaking eye contact with Ruby, “My name is Christina.”

Ruby stares at the outstretched hand for a moment before shaking it, “I’m Ruby.”

“Wonderful,” Christina smirks, “Now we are no longer strangers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thank you for reading! I hoped you enjoyed it, and as always, please comment any tips for my writing or the story. I promise that the next chapter will be almost entirely focused on Ruby and Christina, so thank you for your patience. I'm excited to write the next chapter :))


	3. Flat Tires and Mysterious Mansions

After they drop their hands and a few moments of silence pass, Christina clears her throat, “If I’m going to assist you can we get on with it? I’m getting cold and I’m not above leaving you to freeze out here,” she raises her eyebrows, the only indication of her joke.

Ruby doesn’t know what it is about the woman, but she feels this strange pull toward her, something like a gravitational force or magnetism. There is an almost familiar aura about her, as if they knew each other in another life. Ruby is not a trusting person - she has a critical eye that has served her well over the years - but something about this woman feels honest to Ruby. So Ruby nods tentatively before saying, “I appreciate your help… but if you try anything I do have pepper spray and I will damn-well use it.”

Christina chuckles, “Noted. If I try anything, you are welcome to use as much pepper spray as you feel necessary.”

The women get into Christina’s car, and Ruby marvels at the obviously expensive leather interior. When they reach the gate, Christina reaches out the window to press a few numbers into a keypad, and the massive wrought iron gate swings open. Ruby is expecting the drive to the house to be short, but the pathway to Christina’s house would be better described as a whole damn road instead of a driveway. The “driveway” is so long that Ruby is almost convinced that Christina had lied to her and is actually just taking her deeper into the woods to murder her, but they finally pass over a wooden covered bridge and the surrounding woods opens up into huge, well-kept lawns. Across the lawn sits a massive house, illuminated by warm light streaming out of its countless windows. _No, this is not a house_ Ruby decides, _this is a fucking mansion and it just called me “poor” in ten different languages_.

Christina pulls up to what appears to be the front entrance to the building, and she parks the car before tossing the keys to Ruby, who looks at her dubiously.

“Now you have an escape plan, should the need arise. Pepper spray me first and then get in this car and drive away,” she says nonchalantly as she gets out of the car. Ruby follows, still stunned into silence.

“The garage is over there,” Christina gestures to a building that looks big enough to comfortably house a family of five, “But this is a new dress and I would prefer to change into something more casual before working on your car.”

Ruby nods, “Yeah, of course.”

Christina begins walking toward the large wooden door, calling back to Ruby, “You’re welcome to come inside. It’s certainly warmer indoors. Just be aware that my father has a few of his business partners over for dinner, but hopefully we can avoid them easily.”

Ruby frowns but follows Christina through the door and into the house, and when she steps into the foyer, Ruby feels like she is transported back in time. The vaulted ceiling, the sleek stone walls adorned with candelabras, the ornate wooden three-pointed arches, and the elaborate decorations remind her of the interior of a castle. 

Once she is finished marveling at the foyer, Ruby looks at Christina and her forehead creases. The blonde is slouching slightly, looking at the ground instead of her surroundings; the confident woman that Ruby had just met suddenly disappeared, and it almost looks like Christina is making herself smaller, trying to walk through the foyer of the house without being seen. Ruby stays as close to the woman as possible, and focuses on her own footsteps, ensuring that they drift silently on the floorboards. Christina has almost made it to the hallway at the back of the entryway, but a voice calls from somewhere to their right.

“Christina? Is that you?” The voice is deep, clearly belonging to a man, and Ruby detects a slight accent in it as well.

“Damnit, William,” Christina curses under her breath before rolling her shoulders back and regaining the confident composure that she possessed earlier. Or at least most of it.

“I thought I heard you open the door,” the man, who Ruby assumes is William, comes into view, stepping through an archway to their right that appears to lead to the living room. Ruby peers past William and looks into the elegant room behind him. Her gaze rests on three older white men, and an uncomfortable shiver runs down her spine. She tears her eyes away from the living room and brings them over to William, combing over his slicked back blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and cocky smile. 

“Mm, I was hoping you wouldn’t,” Christina mumbles and purses her lips.

William chuckles, but Ruby could tell Christina wasn’t joking, “You’re a bit too late for dinner, but we are having a drink in the living room if you’d like to join us.”

“That sounds _lovely_ , William, but I’m afraid I’m preoccupied,” Christina’s words drip with sarcasm, and she gestures to Ruby, “This is Ruby. Her car broke down by our gate and I’m going to fix her flat tire for her. Ruby, this is William. He’s a family friend.”

William’s eyes dart to Ruby, noticing her for the first time and he walks over to her. “Ruby,” he says in a voice made of velvet, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He takes Ruby’s hand and brings it to his lips, placing a lingering kiss on the back of her hand, “I’m sorry about your car, but you are also welcome to join us, if you’d like.”

Ruby smiles and feels her cheeks heat slightly, not only because of the charming man in front of her, but also because she can see Christina’s expression from where she watches their interaction behind William. The blonde’s jaw is set tightly, and she keeps attempting to avert her eyes, and failing miserably.

“Well thank you for the invite, William,” Ruby begins, “But Christina was just about to show me to the restroom before helping me with my car. And after that, I’m afraid I need to get back to my family. They’re probably wondering where I am.”

“Of course,” William nods his head, and Ruby sees a nearly imperceptible look of relief flicker across Christina’s face, “I will let you ladies attend to your business.”

With those words, William returns to the living room, and Christina and Ruby continue upstairs.

“Oh, could I use your landline?” Ruby asks, “My family is probably worried about me by now, and my cell doesn’t have service here.”

“Yes, of course,” Christina shows her to a room that appears to be study with walls lined with bookshelves. “There’s the phone,” Christina points to a dark green, old-fashioned phone on the desk in one corner of the room, “And the bathroom is down the hall.”

Ruby smirks and shakes her head, “Oh, I don’t need the bathroom.”

Christina nods before saying, “Okay, then I will just be a minute,” and quickly turns to leave in an attempt to conceal her half-smile.

Ruby picks up the phone, dials Leti’s cell, which is answered with a cautious, “ _Hello?”_

“Hey, Leti. It’s Ruby.”  
“ _Oh thank God! Ruby are you okay? Where are you? You should have been home an hour ago and we’ve been out of our damn minds worrying about you. Why didn’t you answer your cell?”_

“Jesus, Leti, slow down,” Ruby is overwhelmed by her sister’s endless questions, but soon softens, realizing how scared her family must have been. “I’m fine, but I got a flat tire in an area where I had no cell service. This woman named Christina found me and offered to help, so I’m at her house picking up a tire and some tools for-”

 _“You’re with a stranger? In their damn_ house _?”_ Ruby moves the phone away from her ear to preserve her hearing, _“You like to think you’re the smart one, huh? Well I’ve got news for you because this is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.”_

“Oh please, you’ve definitely done worse. And believe me, I know but I have my pepper spray and taser, and honestly there’s no way I was gonna walk miles in the dark to find a place with service.”

 _“Ugh,”_ Leti sighs in exasperation. “ _Just… just promise me that you’ll hurry back. And that you’ll be careful.”_

Ruby smiles softly, “I promise. Hopefully I’ll be home within an hour and a half.”

_“Okay just know that if you aren’t back by then, I’ve saved this number and I will call the cops.”_

This elicits a laugh from Ruby, “If I’m not back soon then you better.”

The line beeps as they say goodbye and hang up the phone. Suddenly Ruby hears a brief rap on the door, and jumps despite herself. Christina stands in the doorframe with one hand outstretched in the process of knocking.

“Sorry to startle you,” the woman clears her throat. “I’m ready to go collect the tools from the garage if you would like to come along.”

Ruby looks Christina up and down. A fitted white blouse and dark brown pants had replaced the blue dress. “Something more casual, huh?” she teases. The blonde looks down at her own clothes, a crease forming between her eyebrows as she tries to find the fault in her outfit. 

“You look like you’re on your way to a board meeting,” Ruby elaborates.

Christina shifts on her feet, “Well it’s certainly more comfortable than that damn dress. And these are old - I got them last year - so I am not worried about ruining them anymore.”

“Last ye-?” Ruby begins to ask incredulously, but changes her mind, “You know what, nevermind.” She walks toward the door, “Let’s go change my tire.”

Christina leads the way through the grand hallways and down the staircase while Ruby takes in the strange, beautiful house that this evening had brought her to. Yet the all beauty and intrigue of the building and architecture around her pales in comparison to the enigmatic blonde she had spent the night with. Ruby also can’t help but think about the few smiles that she had seen from Christina over the course of her night, and Ruby certainly couldn’t stop herself from thinking, _How can I get that smile to make an appearance again?_ She chases away those thoughts as they descend the stairs to find William waiting for them with a glass of scotch in one hand and the other in the pocket of his suit.

“Shouldn’t you be in the other room stroking my father’s ego or basking in his praise?” Christina does not even glance at William as she makes her way to the door in long strides, “I heard about the deal you recently secured. In fact my father won’t seem to shut up about it, but I’m sure you realized that already.”

William sighs defeatedly, “‘Stina…” He begins but is soon silenced when Christina whips around, blue eyes burning.

“Do. Not. Call me that,” the words, although excessively enunciated, are deceptively monotone - nothing like the crackling inferno in her eyes. 

Regret briefly shines on William’s face, but it disappears as he says, “My apologies. But are you sure you do not wish to join us? I’m sure your father would enjoy your company.”

A humorless laugh escapes Christina’s lips, “Oh William, we both know that is not true. My father doesn’t give a shit what I do. If he hasn’t asked for me, then I will put as much distance between me and that room as I can.”

Christina reaches the door and pulls it open, gesturing for Ruby to exit first. She does, but she looks back to see Christina say, “Besides, I try to make my presence as unenjoyable as possible,” before closing the door tight.

The cold air rushes across Ruby’s skin like a bucket of ice water waking her from the wild fever dream that was the past fifteen minutes in that mansion. The wind seems to have a similar effect on Christina because the blonde straightens, takes a deep breath, and begins walking towards what Ruby assumes is the garage. The women enter and Ruby marvels at the stunning cars parked in the large, neat space. Ruby has never been much of a car person. She loves her sedan and although she’s been asked the question from time to time, she’s never thought about what her “dream car” would be. To her, the best part of driving isn’t the vehicle, it’s the journey. And the singing, of course.

Christina begins to putter around a corner of the garage filled with tools, jugs, metal scraps, and luckily, tires. She rummages through plastic bins of metal tools and searches the workstation countertop for whatever instrument she requires. Ruby moves towards her to assist, but realizes she has no clue what Christina needs or where it may be, so she decides to stand back and let Christina work.

As she watches Christina, Ruby can’t help but think about the woman’s behavior in the house. Ruby’s family had not always been so warm and tight knit, but she had never seen utter disregard for a family member’s presence. Christina refused to so much as be in the same room as her father, and it seemed that he made no effort to even greet her when she returned. Not to mention the way she reacted when William had called her by a nickname. Christina’s entire personality had shifted the moment she set foot in that house.

Ruby clears her throat awkwardly. She knows that in about an hour, she’ll be back in her uncle's cozy house, surrounded by her own family, and she can leave this bizarre night behind her. But she still feels drawn to ask Christina, “Are you okay?”

The woman does not look at Ruby, “Yes.”

Her voice is tight and Ruby doesn’t believe her.

As if sensing this, Christina continues, “I suppose you now see why I was only just returning home earlier. I’d been out all day, driving around and stopping in shops in nearby towns. Honestly doing anything other than sitting in that house.”

Ruby almost grins but stops herself, “Driving around?”

Christina nods, turning to look at Ruby, “Yes, I enjoy driving for many reasons, but especially because it provides me with an escape from… well you know.” She waves her hand in the direction of the main building.

Ruby frowns, “I’m not sure I do know.”

Christina leans back against the counter and shoves her hands in her pants pockets, “Let’s just say that William is the son my strict and traditional father never had but so desperately wanted. William is fine on his own, but he becomes insufferable around my father. He claims not to enjoy the attention but I know he’s lying. My father, on the other hand, is never tolerable, so let’s just pray this holiday season is over as soon as possible so I can go home.”

“Oh, you don’t live here?”

“With my father? No.” Christina says, but then her eyes narrow, “Hm…. lots of questions. How about you, Ruby? What brought you to a desolate dirt road, all alone, on the night before Thanksgiving?” Christina looks at her inquisitive, obviously tired of answering questions about herself.

Ruby straightens, almost defensively, “I was taking a break from holiday preparations. My siblings and I are visiting my extended family in the next town over.” Ruby pauses, wondering if she had over-shared. At this point, Ruby is confident that Christina is not going to kidnap her, but even still, she’s not too keen on sharing personal information with someone she’d just met, despite Christina's disclosure of details about her own life.

Christina cocks her head, as if expecting more, so Ruby continues, “I was taking a drive to watch the sunset, but my GPS took me down your God-forsaken dirt road. Which reminds me, you really should pay someone to fill in the pot holes or you’re going to run out of tires.”

“Watching the sunset?” Christina ignores Ruby’s joking suggestion. 

Ruby nods, “Yeah, why?”  
“No reason…” Christina trails off in thought, “I was just reminded of something my mother used to say.”

Ruby says nothing, surprised at the softness in Christina’s voice, and although she wishes Christina would elaborate, she does not want to pressure the woman to continue to share. Christina turns back to her pile of tools and places them all into an empty toolbox before finishing her thought, to Ruby’s delight, “My mother would say, ‘If one phenomenon in this world is caused by magic, it would be a sunset.’”

Ruby hums in agreement - she _has_ always felt some sort of magic in the vibrant and stunning colors of a sunset- and Christina continues her task as if the entire conversation had never happened. She examines the tires stacked next to the wall before pulling one off the stack and looping her arm through it. She walks over to the one black pick-up truck in the garage and tosses the tire and the box in the back.

Christina’s blue eyes meet Ruby’s, “Are you ready?”

Ruby nods but makes no movement toward the other woman, and instead says softly but not quietly, “Thank you, Christina. I really appreciate all your help. I’m sure you have things you’d rather be doing.”

Christina just smirks, “Don’t thank me yet. There’s still ample time for me to kidnap you.”

Ruby chuckles, gets in the passenger seat, and then Christina starts the car and puts it in drive. Ruby takes a final look at the house through the side mirror, and once they pass the covered bridge Ruby asks, “Why are you here?”

“What do you mean?” Christina keeps her eyes on the road.

Ruby shifts in her seat, realizing she should probably mind her own business, but simultaneously feeling too inexplicably connected to Christina’s feelings to ignore what she saw tonight. “I mean that you and your father don’t seem to be on the best terms. So I know it’s the holidays, but why are you staying with him?”

Christina’s knuckles turn bone white as she grips the steering wheel tight at the mention of her father. She takes so long to reply that Ruby almost thinks she won’t, “My father doesn’t care what I do as long as I don’t cause any problems for him or the family, but he still likes to order me around. He tells me what he wants me to do somewhat randomly, but if I don’t do as he says…” She refuses to finish the thought. “So he still orders me around, just to show me that although I’m an independent adult, he still has control over me. And what better time to order your family to do something they don’t want to than the holidays? I think the only reason he even wants me here is so he can see the effects of his power trip in person.”

Ruby frowns, debating whether or not to express her sympathies. Christina may have opened up to her, which Ruby honestly was not expecting given the woman’s hardened exterior, but she doesn’t seem like the type of person to want or expect the sympathy of others. But that’s too bad because Ruby says somewhat awkwardly, “Well I’m sorry that he’s an asshole, but he certainly raised a good person.” To accentuate her point, Ruby places her hand on Christina’s unoccupied hand, which rests on the car’s console. Ruby almost jumps when their skin makes contact. It feels like the electricity that had been coursing through her body the whole night, that strange pull toward this woman that she felt from the moment she saw her, had finally found an outlet.

Christina snorts, “He certainly did not raise a good person. But thank you for saying that.”

They sit in silence for the rest of the drive, as Ruby wonders if Christina was disagreeing with the claim that she’s a good person or that her father raised her. Or perhaps both. Soon they reach Ruby’s sedan, looking cold and lonely on the side of the empty, night-swaddled road.

Christina gets to work, grabbing the tire and the tools, and the blonde works impressively quickly, declining the assistance Ruby offers. The whole process is finished in under twenty minutes and when Ruby remarks on her speed, Christina says, “I’ve done this a few times. I enjoy working on cars. It’s relaxing.”

Christina leans against the back of the truck, which is parked in front of Ruby’s car, and admires her handiwork. Ruby joins her, making a show of shivering with the arrival of a breeze and shifting slightly closer to the taller woman for “body heat”.

“Thank you again, Christina. I really appreciate everything you’ve done tonight.” Ruby turns to look at Christina and blue eyes meet brown. She feels the electricity return, building up once again. “And here are your keys,” Ruby places Christina’s keys in the palm of her outstretched hand, allowing her fingers to linger where they brush against Christina’s palm.

“It was really no trouble, Ruby.” Christina fully faces Ruby now.

“Well if there’s anything I can do to repay you…” Ruby trails off, distracted by blonde hair glowing preternaturally in the dark of night, and getting lost in the blue eyes gazing into her own.

Christina steps forward, now only inches from Ruby’s face, and glances between Ruby’s eyes and lips, “I can think of one thing…”

With those words as a confirmation, Ruby closes the rest of the distance between them and presses her lips to Christina’s. There’s that initial jolt of electricity again, but the rest of the kiss is soft and tentative. Unsure and built on strange circumstances, but still feeling so completely right somehow.

After a moment, the women pull away, both stunned into silence, until Ruby says, “Do you have your cell on you?”

Christina nods and reaches into her coat pocket and presents the phone to Ruby in a swift motion. Ruby takes it and puts her contact information in.

“There. I know this holiday is short, but if you’re still around after tomorrow, give me a call if you think of another way I can thank you.”

Christina smiles - _There it is,_ Ruby thinks - and says, “I would never be opposed to more thanks.”

Ruby gets in her car and rolls down her window to say goodbye. Christina calls to her, “Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,” before Ruby drives away. She looks in her rearview mirror, watching as the silhouette of Christina fades into the black of night. The woman looks so spectral as she stands in the middle of the road, surrounded by eerie woods before disappearing into the void, that if the warmth of their kiss wasn’t lingering so intensely on Ruby’s lips, she might think that Christina was a figment of her imagination. A character from a story book. A witch from Ellie’s folklore. 

Ruby smiles. She’d never been so glad to discover that the stories are true and the woods of Ardham are home to witches. Witches who live in mansions hidden deep in the forest, who have piercing eyes of ice and hair of white gold, and a shocking proficiency with a lug wrench.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Is it obvious that I have very little knowledge about cars and flat tires? Sorry this chapter took so long - I'm back at school so there's much less time to write for fun. And for that same reason, I apologize for any typos or mistakes in the chapter. I'd love any comments or tips you guys want to share with me, and I hope you have a good rest of your week!!


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